TNAG-0833-FCO40-1041-Colonial-Regulations-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1979 — Page 6

布政司署

香港下亞庫舉道

本署檔號 OUR REF: COU I/M 1044/79

來函檔號 YOUR REF:

My Lord,

HKK373/3

Who

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

28th July 1979.

I have the honour to refer to the recent

restructuring of the Legal Department in Hong Kong and to propose that it might now be appropriate to modify

the application of Colonial Regulation 149 to Hong Kong.

Colonial Regulation 149(2) provides that every enactment shall be accompanied by a report from the Governor or a Law Officer and these reports have traditionally been signed here by the Attorney General. The Attorney General now considers that the Law Draftsman might properly sign these reports in future. We take the view that the term "Law Officer" in the Regulation has its usual meaning of Attorney General or Solicitor General and would not embrace the newly-created post of Law Officer in the Hong Kong public service and your Lordship's approval is accordingly sought for this proposed change of procedure.

The statement required from a Law Officer by Colonial Regulation 149(1), to the effect that, in his opinion, the Governor's assent may or may not be properly given thereto, will continue to be signed by the Attorney

General.

I have the honour to be, my Lord, Your Lordship's obedient servant,

Pihalne

Walker

(P.H. Walker)

for chief Secretary

THE RT. HON. THE LORD CARRINGTON, KCMG, MC SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS